A/N OK eager readers. Here's where this story goes from Lions and Dragons and Hearts, oh my! To Revenge Isn't Everything. ENJOY! REVIEW!

Chapter Three: Summer in Solitude

Good morning," Hermione said to the people in the kitchen. Harry looked up from the stove where he was frying bacon while making eggs. Ron was sitting in the corner, not allowed to touch anything. Off in the window was Harry's dreadful aunt Petunia. She seemed to be trying to listen to the neighbors.

Hermione thought about when she and Ron decided that though they liked each other, nothing should happen until Voldemort was defeated. Harry chose to be blind in the whole situation with his friends as he thought back to his relationship with Ginny. He missed her so much and the second he knew she would be out of danger, even after Voldemort was defeated, he would rush back to her and never let her go.

"Good morning Hermione. Would you mind getting the pancakes?" Harry asked. Hermione smiled and looked at her friend's worn face. The Dursleys worked him to no end, and would always try to think up excuses for her and Ron to not be able, no, allowed to help him, especially with magic, and especially after the barbeque incident a few weeks ago with Ron and the exploding beans. When, though, have they ever followed all of the rules?

Hermione took her wand out of her boxer shorts and pointed at the empty plates beside Harry. They soon were piled with all sorts of breakfast foods. The pans and spatulas in Harry's hands floated up and were instantly cleaned before resting back where they belonged. She knew that it was wrong to be using magic for even the simple tasks like cooking and cleaning, but if it annoyed the Dursleys then she was fine with it.

"Thanks" Harry said. He felt awkward being the only one of the three of them who was still underage, but he appreciated all of the help they could offer.

"No problem." Hermione levitated the plates into the dining room, followed by Harry and Ron. "Good morning Mr. Dursley," she said as she set the plates on the table and took a seat between Harry and Ron. Even though he was a total moronic, dictating bastard, she would still make an effort to make as non-hostile of an environment as possible, well at least until Harry was of age.

"Good morning Hermione" Dudley said from across the table. Ever since the second week that the three friends had arrived at the Dursley house, Dudley had been trying to hit on her.

Hermione had decided that looks would be able to help them on their mission. Making her hair more tamable would make it easier to keep out of her face, and make it easier to blend in. She also went for at least two runs a day, dragging Harry and Ron with her. They needed to stay fit if anything were to happen when they could not use magic. She made them run, go to a gym, taught them both to swim, and anything else that would help them stay fit. One more thing that changed about her was that from spending so much time in the sun, a few small freckles popped up on her now tan face. Within a few short weeks, Hermione Granger had developed into a 5'4, leggy, brunette woman. Her body was slender with a few small curves.

"Good morning Pig" she replied, taking a note out of Mimi Bobeck's book from the Drew Carey Show. Even though she would try to be polite to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, she would in no way show any emotion remotely close to courtesy to the tub of lard ahead of her. "Mr. Dursley, could you please pass the orange juice?"

"So now you need the normal person to do something?" He replied bitterly, not even looking away from his newspaper.

"Here you go 'Mione" Harry said from beside his uncle. He reached across the table and went to pick up the carton ahead of him when a pudgy, overstuffed hand grapped it and placed it in front of Hermione's plate.

"Gotta be quicker than that Potter" Dudley said with a sneer.

This was the first day of the last month that the trio would have to spend in the horrible house.

Breakfast went as it usually did. Dudley would try to make his parents give Harry work that he would have to do outside or in public where people would see so that Ron and Hernione wouldn't be able to help out with magic, and would most likely succeed.

"I still don't get why you two don't just stay across the street with Mrs. Figg," Harry said as he and Ron weeded the garden while Hermione trimmed the hedges.

"And miss out on all this fun?" Ron replied sarcastically. He stood up and stretched his back. "Honestly mate, I still don't get how you manage to do this every bloody summer"

"Well, after a few years, you get used to the labor, no matter how much you hate it." Harry muttered the last bit under his breath.

"Oh, Harry, do you honestly think that we would actually leave you with your family during the summer holidays and let you do all of this work on your own? Besides, we need to stick together, protect each other."

"Whatever you say Hermione." Harry said, grateful that he had such amazing friends.

"Oy! Potter!" The trio suddenly heard form the fence in the front of the lawn. It was Dudley and his pathetic gang of bullies.

Harry sighed, "Sorry cuz, but I'm with some peeps a little cooler and more important that you right now."

"Who? That redhead freak?" The group of boys laughed at Dudley's remark.

"No, with worms we're using for dinner tonight." Harry held up a bucket of worms he and Ron were collecting to give to Mrs. Figg for her garden.

Two or three of the boys giggled, but tried to hide with by coughing.

It was then that Harry noticed that one of Dudley's cronies was missing. Jerry something or other. He went to the same summer-school as Dudley. Harry looked around for him and soon found the little bugger standing beside Hermione, trying to talk to her. Harry had to realize that Hermione had changed this summer. He noticed the way her short, denim jeans made her butt look small and round and hugged her hips with every step she took and move she made. It was a hot summer day so she had discarded of her T-shirt and was wearing nothing but her deep-purple bikini top with a v-neck, since it was a string bikini, and showed off much cleavage, Though she did not have a large chest, her slender, tan, toned body made her look bigger than she was. Her hair was up in a messy bun, with a few small strands falling over her beautiful face.

"Ron" Harry whispered. Ron looked at Harry and followed to where his eyes were leading. Ron jumped up and made to go to Hermione. Harry quickly, too, jumped up and grabbed his friend. "Oy! Jerry!"

"What do you want?" Jerry asked, pissed that the Potter kid was interrupting him while he was in the middle of macking.

"What you doin' man?" Harry asked quietly, since his face was now inches from Jerry's, with Ron to his right.

"What do you think orphan boy?" Hermione rolled her eyes at this and 'accidentally' missed the hedge and cut a large "L" on the back of Jerry's shirt, which went completely unnoticed by all.

"I think that you're tryin' to hit on our friend Hermione," Ron snapped.

"And we just don't appreciate that man, so why don't you just back off?" Harry finished, after having to pull Ron back.

"How about I break your fag-ass glasses in half, along with your nose?" Jerry held his fist up to Harry's calm-looking face.

"Boy, boys," Hermione said softly as she walked between her friends and their prey. She had seen something like this in 'The Mummy'. "Now Harry, Ron, I know that you two want to protect me, but I'm a big girl," She began as she faced her two best friends. She winked and the boys instantly knew to back off and let Hermione do what she had been doing all summer, humiliate Dudley's gang. After her friends took a step away, Hermione turned to Jerry and gave him the flirtiest smile she could.

Dudley and his friends watched as one of the newer members of their group faced the wrath of Hermione, before they had to watch the wrath of Dudley when he told the guy that he was hitting on Dudley's prey.

"I'm so sorry about that," she rolled her eyes, "boys. When are they going to finally accept that I'm a grown girl and just let me have fun."

Jerry could not believe what he was hearing. He had been watching the girl for a few days now and always wondered why no one ever dared go up and talk to her, but now here he was and she was looking hot.

"How about I make it up to you?" Hermione took a step closed to the boy as she put her hand on his chest. She felt him shiver at her touch and let out a soft, playful giggle. "Am I making you nervous?" she whispered with her lips only an inch away from his ear. He could feel her breath on his neck.

"N-no" he said, trying to sound as macho as possible, but he was beginning to sweat.

"Good, then you wouldn't be nervous if I asked you to close your eyes and let me make up for my friends being so rude?" Not a second later, Jerry's eyes were shut and his lips were ready and waiting. Hermione ran across the garden and grabbed the bucket of worms. "Okay," she whispered, "Open your mouth" Jerry's jaw dropped and Hermione took three worms and let them glide into his mouth.

Jerry's eyes flew open and his mouth, accidentally, closed. He ran around the backyard, showing off the back of his shirt, screaming with his mouth shut.

"SPIT THEM OUT IDIOT!" Phill, an old friend of Dudley's yelled over the fence.

Jerry spit out the worms and looked the smiling Hermione in the eye before stalking out of the garden. Dudley and the rest of the group followed after him for Dudley's punishment.

As soon as they were all out of sight, Hermione, Ron, and Harry started cracking up. Harry grabbed his ribs while Ron held on to a tree for balance. Hermione was laying flat on her back as she laughed at what she had done. This was the third time she had to get one of those idiots to back off.

"Hermione, you sure have changed since first year" Harry gasped between breaths.

Later at the end of dinner, Hermione was in the kitchen, bringing out some tea to go with their dessert when there was a knocking at the door.

"Who the bloody hell would come calling at this hour!" she heard Mr. Dursley scream from the table as he stood up to answer. "Well! Go get it boy!"

She heard Harry get up from the table and walk to the door.

"MALFOY!"